Dragon Ball Z: Heart of a God
by BeneathThisMask
Summary: Something has awakened. An ancient evil not seen for millions of years has set its sights on planet Earth and Old Kai fears it cannot be stopped. In the face of a creature more dangerous than even the monster Buu, Goku and Vegeta must use all of what they've learned under Whis and push beyond even that if they hope to survive this apocalyptic new threat.


**A/N: **This is a pretty long one-shot (think of it like a movie in written format) that has been in my head for awhile. Since I'll be diving head first into another The Walking Dead fic (about to complete the second chapter, in fact—so for those of you who are anxiously awaiting that: Don't worry, it's on its way), I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get this out here. This story is set in between _Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods_ and the new movie: _Dragonball Z: Revival of F_. Specifically, it is set a year after _Battle of Gods_, shortly after Goku and Vegeta begin training under Whis. It explores the origins of the new form, the "Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan", as well as a special surprise addition.

Hope you all enjoy! Comment your thoughts!

* * *

**AGE 779**

(_Sacred World of the Kais_)

Kibito Kai was perplexed.

Only an hour had passed since he had first detected the strange echo calling out from across the vastness of space. It wasn't an echo in the traditional sense. Far from it, in fact. The young Kai knew ancient _ki_ when he felt it. But this _ki_ was quite unlike any he had felt before. It wasn't just old, it was familiar and dark. A chill went up his spine as he recalled feeling a similar energy radiate from Majin Buu the first time he had encountered the horrible creature over five million years ago. Sweat beaded on the Kai's lavender skin as he gazed down on the Old Kai's crystal ball. The ball was presently reflecting an image of the source of the echoing energy.

_Why is it always them, _Kibito Kai thought bitterly to himself.

The crystal ball reflected a familiar blue sphere surrounded by the infinite darkness of space: the Earth. In the years since the demon Majin Buu was defeated by the Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta, the Earth had become a planet that Kibito Kai was quite familiar with. Since the monster's destruction, the planet (and more specifically, Goku himself) had drawn the attention of the God of Destruction, Lord Beerus himself. Now this. Kibito Kai glanced up from the ball to see that the Old Kai had rejoined him, himself glancing contemplatively at the ball.

"Yes," the old man's wizened voice broke the silence. "You were right to come to me, Kibito."

"So, you know what this is, Ancestor?"

"Hmm," the older Kai nodded. "Yes, unfortunately I believe I do."

"Un...Unfortunately?"

"Tell me, Kibito. What do you know about the 'old gods', as they're called." Old Kai never once tore his eyes away from the crystal ball.

"The 'old gods'?" Kibito Kai blinked in confusion. "I've never heard of them."

Old Kai hummed absently. "I see. Yes, well, I suppose they _were_ a bit before your time. Come, sit. I shall tell you the tale."

Kibito Kai obeyed without question and immediately lowered himself into the soft grass below. Finally, Old Kai broke his eye contact with the crystal ball and gazed upward into the moon-dotted skies above them. Kibito noticed the old man's eyes glaze over as they always did when he was about to tell a long story or explain something of the utmost importance.

"You see, Kibito, the Earth wasn't always the peaceful planet we've come to know it as. Earth has a violent history that dates back to when it was still very young."

"That's where these old gods come in, I suppose." Kibito Kai replied.

"Yes, I was getting to that!" Old Kai snapped before clearing his throat. "The 'old gods', as they were called then, were among the first inhabitants of the planet. Massive monstrosities, they were, and with personalities that would make even Majin Buu look pleasant. They were extremely powerful beings, yes..." the elder Kai nodded again, as if affirming his own explanation.

"How powerful are we talking, Ancestor?"

"Hmm, well, if I had to compare it to something... They were slightly weaker than Lord Beerus himself, I'd say."

Kibito Kai felt as though his eyes were going to explode out of his skull. "Ancestor! That powerful?! Surely you're exaggerating!"

"Would you shut it?! What I meant to say was that they were about as strong as he was _at the time!_ He's much stronger now, of course!" the old man roared comically. "Now then, where was I? Oh yes, they were quite ferocious indeed. Gods of destruction themselves, in their own right. We Kais feared that they would one day destroy their homeworld and travel to others to repeat the deed. We approached Lord Beerus for assistance in dealing with them. It was one of the only times in the history of the universe that the Kais and the God of Destruction worked in unison."

"What happened to them?" Kibito Kai asked breathlessly.

"Most of them were destroyed, but, like I told you, they were immensely powerful. In the end, even Lord Beerus couldn't kill all of them."

Kibito Kai scratched his head, which was still beaded with sweat. "To think... Beerus the Destroyer, unable to destroy something."

"Yes, it was quite ironic." Old Kai snorted. "That final old god—Satais—was left to us Kais. Naturally, if Beerus couldn't destroy it, then our power wasn't going to kill it either. Instead, we used our magic to put the beast into hibernation and then sealed it deep beneath the surface of the Earth. That energy you noticed earlier... That was definitely an echo from the creature."

"But, if you ancient Kais put it into hibernation, why would its energy be echoing?"

Old Kai's face became grave and he again turned his gaze on the crystal ball, which still depicted the Earth. "I'm not quite sure." He said eventually. "We should monitor this situation very closely. If the old god were to awaken again, I doubt even Goku could stop it."

Kibito Kai's breath hitched the very suggestion. Goku, the hero of the universe, and the one responsible for killing the monster Majin Buu, was known for his ability to conquer any feat. Just a year ago, the happy-go-lucky Saiyan had transcended even the great power he had displayed against Majin Buu and become the legendary Super Saiyan God. With this power, Goku had convinced Lord Beerus not to destroy the entire planet. That the Old Kai would suggest that even Goku could not defeat this monster worried Kibito Kai fiercely. For the moment, all he could do was stare tensely into the crystal ball and pray that the monster stay dormant.

* * *

(_Planet Beerus_)

Vegeta watched grumpily from the sidelines as Goku and Whis sparred above the massive lake on Planet Beerus. Not even an hour prior, it was he who was dodging Whis' insanely fast jabs and narrowly escaping each time. For nearly a year, at the invitation of Whis himself, the two pure-blooded Saiyans—the last of such a noble bloodline—had trained with Whis on this world which belonged to Beerus the Destroyer. The Prince of All Saiyans could hardly believe just how much had transpired since Beerus had visited the Earth a year ago. He had, much to his satisfaction, finally closed the gap on his rival and obtained the power of the Super Saiyan God. However, like all Saiyans, both he and Goku had not found the power-up sufficient enough. Both hungered for more and so Whis had offered to teach them to hone their new-found god power while Beerus slept.

The Saiyan Prince tapped on his muscled armed in irritation as he watched Goku effortlessly avoid Whis' attacks, as if such a feat didn't even phase him. Earlier, the same attacks had made Vegeta sweat like a bullet and, even with his newest power-up, he was only barely able to avoid a bone-shattering strike from the strange, white-haired, blue-skinned alien. The more he watched, the more angry he got, until he could take it no longer.

"Stop showing off, Kakarot!" he barked at the top of his lungs.

The distraction provided Whis with just enough time to land a painful blow to Goku—right on the nose. The surprised Saiyan howled in pain, dropping out of the sky, only to crash loudly into the water below.

"Now, Vegeta," Whis said, his tone firm, yet seemingly carefree. "That was hardly kind."

"Hmph," Vegeta huffed. "It's his fault for being so easily caught off guard."

About that time, Goku's head exploded out of the water. The low-class Saiyan looked disheveled but otherwise unharmed.

Whis sighed, then shrugged. "Oh well, I suppose that is enough for the day."

"Awww, man!" Goku whined. "This is all your fault, Vegeta!"

"Oh, pipe down, Kakarot!" Vegeta roared. "It's your own fault that you can't stay focused for more than a millisecond! How do you ever expect to get better than Lord Beerus if a measly shout distracts you!"

Goku pouted, but clearly had no retort prepared.

"Now, now," Whis, ever the voice of reason, chimed in. "Let's not raise our voices. We wouldn't want to wake Lord Beerus prematurely. That wouldn't end well for any of us. Why don't we call it a day and fetch a good meal?"

"Woooooooooooooooh!" an elated Goku bellowed, leaping fully out of the water and into the air. "Now you're talking, Whis! I'm starving!"

Vegeta merely growled in response, though, in the confines of his own mind, even he had to admit that he was hungry himself. Famished even. And so, not even half an hour later, the trio found themselves seated at a rather large stone table some distance away from the training field. The table was set with a rather large amount of Earth food—which had been prepared by Bulma, Videl, and Chi-Chi before the Saiyans arrived on Beerus' planet—a simple compensation for Whis' services as a martial arts instructor. The three dug into their food with an almost animalistic fervor.

"Oh, how I do enjoy all of this Earth food!" Whis squealed at one point.

"Well, there's plenty more where that came from!" Goku exclaimed. "You can have all the Earth food you want, so long as you keep training us."

Whis nodded dutifully, which made Goku chuckle in delight. Vegeta silently agreed with Goku's antics. Whis' instruction had been invaluable. Thanks to him, both Saiyans had been able to retain the power of Super Saiyan God and become Saiyans beyond god. Their power had soared above its previous levels, making enemies like Majin Buu or Cell look like ants. He smirked when he thought of Frieza. Oh what the Saiyan Prince wouldn't do to pay the former space tyrant a visit in Hell to show just how far he had come since his pride-crushing defeat on the planet of Namek. Frieza had humiliated him there and Goku had only rubbed salt in his wounds by becoming the first in a thousand years to become a Super Saiyan.

_Now_, Vegeta thought. _No enemy can stand to measure against me! With this new power, I'll finally defeat Kakarot!_

"Whis," Vegeta suddenly said, bringing a halt to the antics of the other two by breaking his silence.

"What is it, Vegeta?"

"I was thinking," the Saiyan Prince continued. "Do you think it is possible to surpass the Super Saiyan God?"

Whis blinked repeatedly, but Goku looked by far more astonished.

"Surpass the Super Saiyan God?" Whis repeated in disbelief. "I suppose it's possible... if you train hard enough."

_Hmph,_ Vegeta thought. _Typical response. We've been training, but I feel there could be so much more!_

"What would you even call that?" Goku chortled in the meantime. "A Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan?"

"Oh, that does sound positively ridiculous." Whis agreed, cackling loudly at Goku's joke.

Vegeta snarled angrily. The Saiyan Prince had come a long way, in recent years, at overcoming his natural Saiyan pride, but Goku always found a way to wound it. He stood suddenly, slamming his fist into the stone table—which caused it to cave in a crumble—as he stormed away from the other two. How dare 'Kakarot' make fun of his efforts to improve! The nerve of that baffoon!

"Oh, come on, Vegeta!" Goku called after him. "We were just joking!"

Vegeta was just about to turn around and retort when the argument was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Oracle Fish—another peculiar companion of Beerus'. Vegeta found the Oracle Fish to be among the stranger residents of Beerus' planet. The tiny critter floated around the planet in a wine-glass-shaped vile, which was filled with some strange liquid that the Saiyan Prince was just sure wasn't water. The fish looked agitated, a stark departure from its usual aloof persona.

"You guys really don't pay attention, do you?" the Oracle Fish scolded. "That Bulma woman has been blowing up your messages, Whis. All the way from Earth!"

"...Bulma?" Goku looked more confused than usual.

Vegeta, for the first time that day, was dumbfounded. What could Bulma want with him at a time like this? Then it hit him. And when it hit him, it hit him _hard_. Bulma was going to _murder _him...

"Oh shit," Vegeta cursed silently, his palm colliding with his forehead.

Unaware of Vegeta's sudden distress, Whis promptly rose from the remnants of the broken dinner table and tapped his elaborate staff thrice on the ground beneath him.

"Well, we'll just dial her up, then." the blue alien said almost too happily.

The staff began to glow a deep green before projecting an all too familiar image high above the gathered beings. Bulma Brief was a scary sight even on a good day. Now, vein bulging on her forehead and face contorted wildly in a rage, the aging woman looked more terrifying than even an enraged God of Destruction Beerus. The sight made Goku cower, Whis coo in amusement, and Vegeta grunt angrily. He knew what was about to happen.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Bulma roared, her voice echoing throughout the planet. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF YOU?! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE, YOU JERK!"

"Now, now, Bulma..." Goku, hands up as if in surrender, tried to calm her. "We don't want to wake up Lord Bee-"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TOMORROW IS?!" the blue-haired woman continued her tirade, completely ignoring her cowering friend. "WELL?! DO YOU?!"

Vegeta despised being yelled at. Such an embarrassment was an affront to his Saiyan pride. Still, his wife _did_ have a reason to be angry, so he simply offered an acknowledging grunt and looked away. If he dared make eye contact with his wife, he knew the situation would quickly devolve into a shouting match between the two, which would surely awaken Lord Beerus. _Everyone_ would suffer were that to occur. Bulma calmed slightly, but her agitation was still plainly visible for all to see as she folded her arms and tapped one with her index finger—ironically mimicking a pose used by Vegeta himself not even an hour prior.

"Tomorrow," she snarled firmly. "is our thirteenth anniversary, _remember_?"

"Hmph," Vegeta growled, folding his own arms. He may be in the wrong, but he didn't have to play into her guilt trip.

This had the negative impact of only further enraging Bulma. The vein in her head—as if it couldn't get any larger already—bulged more. "We had plans to take everyone—_including you, Goku_—to the Eastern Capital to celebrate!"

"Hey, now Bulma...!" Goku again tried to appeal to her. "Don't bring me into this!"

Now it was Vegeta's turn to bark back. "I have no time for sentimental human celebrations!" the Prince of Saiyans snapped. "I am in the middle of perhaps the most important training session of my li—"

"I DON'T CARE!" the woman's temper came roaring back. "YOU AND GOKU ARE GOING TO GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE, PRONTO, OR SO HELP ME GOD—"

All three arguing parties were quickly silenced by the soft pattering of feet approaching their meeting point. Even Whis seemed perplexed by this new, ambient sound. Goku, however, who had been trying to prevent this from the start, knew exactly what it was—rather, _who_ it was. The Saiyans turned around very slowly, nervously, to discover a very sleepy, very _cranky_ Lord Beerus—still in his pajamas—walking slowly up the path towards them. Whis, on the other hand, looked rather unaffected. The God of Destruction was mumbling to himself, but the words he was mumbling were becoming more and more clear the closer he approached.

"What's all the ruckus?" Beerus grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "How am I supposed to sleep... _WITH ALL THIS DAMN NOISE?!_"

The cranky deity launched a surprisingly powerful violet _ki _blast into the sky, where it vanished among the rust-colored clouds. Moments later, apparently having impacted something, an explosion roared through the sky, flooding Beerus' world with a violent and powerful gale. Goku and Vegeta both looked horrified, while Whis merely huffed with annoyance.

"My, my, Lord Beerus..." Whis hummed. "You must learn to control your temper."

The feline deity ignored his mentor, mumbling something unintelligible as he stumbled across the yard and curled up like a house cat underneath a rather shady-looking tree. Once in the clear, Vegeta turned back to his wife and scowled. The woman had nearly gotten them all killed! Whis, however, stepped in before any argument could be resumed between the trio.

"For the sake of civility—lest we want Lord Beerus to cause anymore havoc—perhaps it would be best for the two of you to take a little break and attend this celebration." the blue-skinned alien said. "You can resume your training when it is over." He then held up his index finger. "And you can bring me some more of that fabulous Earth food!"

Goku chuckled weakly, still shell-shocked from Beerus' display. "Y-y-yeah... That's probably for the best. Vegeta?"

"Hmph, I suppose."

"Then it's settled!" Goku exclaimed. "We'll be back real soon, Bulma! Promise!"

"You'd better!" Bulma huffed and then the image of her was finally gone.

"Well, no point in keeping her waiting." Goku said, turning to Vegeta. "The longer we take, the angrier she'll be when we get there."

"Yeah, yeah," Vegeta scoffed. "Let's just get this over with."

The Saiyan Prince was in _no way_ looking forward to returning home. He would much rather remain on Beerus' world and face the God of Destruction's wrath than that of his own wife. Still, he wasn't being given much of a choice. Growling grumpily, he slowly approached his rival, taking the man by the shoulder as he got into the familiar posture for Instant Transmission—

"We'll be back, Whis!" Goku exclaimed cheerfully. "See you soon!"

—and they were gone.

* * *

**Later that evening...**

(_Somewhere off the coast of the Eastern Capital..._)

The depths of the Earth's oceans were alive with activity.

Creatures, prehistoric and modern alike, swam in the darkest depths of the water, going about their normal routines. But something was off about this night. It had began earlier in the day. Strange pulsations had begun to emit from the lower regions of the Great Trench—the lowest region of Earth's oceans. The pulsations spoke to the animal populous like a bomb siren. Echolocation, a warning. Something massive had woken up in the trench and was steadily gaining consciousness. Now, with night settling on the surface world above, the massive anomaly had gathered its senses and begun to move.

Roused from millions of years worth of slumber, Satais rose from the depths, a massive shadow rising from the Earth's deepest trench.

Free of its ancient prison, the Old God cautiously explored its environment. It could sense a change on the planet. The world was not what it was when the creature's kind had ruled it with primal terror. There were other lifeforms out there now just waiting to become a food source. That is all the Old God could see them as—food. The creature was mindless, a being of instinct, and millions of years sealed in the Great Trench had made it ravenously hungry. Unfortunately, none of the aquatic being swimming furiously away from it possessed the energy it so desperately craved. On the other hand, it could sense a tremendous source of energy above. Yes, these new inhabitants of the Earth were brimming with its food source—practically a buffet waiting to be devoured.

The Old God propelled itself forward with one of its tremendous limbs, causing a concussion wave that sent ocean fauna scattering as it moved into more open water. Then, with one cataclysmic push, the ancient monster launched itself at astounding speeds towards the surface.

Food would be in reach soon.

_Very soon..._

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

(_West City Municipal Airport_)

"Remind me again why we're taking a common airplane to the Eastern Capital?!" Vegeta snapped angrily. "We could have always used one of _your _planes or, better yet, have just flown there ourselves."

Bulma and Vegeta—plus a plethora of their close friends—were gathered in a waiting area within the crowded airport, waiting for their plane to East City to be boarded. All day, the gathered Z Fighters had been forced to play the referee between the bitter married couple of Bulma and Vegeta. Despite being their thirteenth anniversary, the two hadn't gotten along at all since Vegeta arrived home from training the day prior. Bulma, in particular, was infuriated by Vegeta's incessant complaining. Vegeta was just mad that he had been forced to give up his training for what he viewed as a silly waste of his valuable Saiyan time. Naturally, the women—namely, Android 18, Videl, and Chi-Chi—had taken Bulma's side in chastising Vegeta. Hilariously enough, though, none of the men—Goku included—had stepped up in Vegeta's defense.

"She doesn't have to chauffeur you around all the time, Vegeta." Chi-Chi scolded. "Show some gratitude and stop your complaining!"

The Prince of Saiyans had to bite back his retort. In many ways, the wife of Goku was just as scary as his Bulma. He didn't understand how the more easy-going Saiyan stood the raven-haired woman. Then again, he made do with Bulma, so perhaps love really _could_ overlook such obvious design flaws.

"Honestly," Bulma was still snarling. "I think becoming a Super Saiyan God went to his head!" she snapped. "He may be a god in title, but he doesn't scare me!"

_Earth women,_ Vegeta groaned to himself.

A few (safe) feet away, Goku huddled together with Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha. All three men looked grateful that they weren't Vegeta at the moment. Krillin in particular seemed to be keeping his distance.

"I hate it when the women get all feisty like this..." the bald man huffed. "It gives me a stomach ache."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Goku agreed absentmindedly.

About that time, finally fed up with the bickering, Vegeta stormed off to be on his own. This only served to anger the women further, who the huddled together themselves and began to angrily fume about Vegeta's behavior. The Prince of Saiyans had barely been back on Earth a day and he already found himself wanting to leave and return to training. It was truly a sign of how irritated he was, he thought, when he would rather spend the days training with 'Kakarot' and the strange blue alien, Whis, than bicker incessantly with his wife.

As Vegeta practically shoved his way through the crowd, he was stopped when something small quite literally fell into him from his side. His first reaction was to angrily shout at whatever human dared impede his escape from his maniacal friends and family. He was stopped, however, when he saw that the offending creature was a small human child, no older than Trunks or Goten, with a head full of thick, dark brown hair and large ocean-blue eyes. The child seemed visibly distressed, his eyes watering profusely as the mob of civilians continued to pass by them.

"S-s-s-s-sorry, m-mister." the child hiccuped through his tears.

Vegeta gritted his teeth, emotionally torn.

His Saiyan pride demanded that he bark at the child for bumping into him anyways and go about his merry way. The new "earthling" side of him, however, felt _sorry_ for the child and that emotion made him angry.

_Damn that Kakarot! _he thought inwardly. _Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, reduced to a pile of mush over a... human child! This is all that clown's fault!__ He's starting to get to me!_

The Saiyan Prince was just about to raise his voice and reply to the blubbering youth, when a shout from across the lobby drew his attention. Two young parents came rushing out of the mob of travelers towards them and scooped the young child up into their arms. Such was their elation, that the mother spun the boy around in her arms in celebration.

"Oh, Sakkoi! We thought we'd lost you!" the jubilant human woman squealed in delight. "Don't you ever run off like that again!"

By this point, the child was sobbing hysterically and Vegeta was on the verge of snapping. At the same time, however—and though he'd never admit it—he felt relieved that the child had been restored to his proper parents. Nevertheless, that didn't keep him from wanting to scold them for their carelessness and stupidity.

"Thank you, sir!" the man, obviously the father, said to Vegeta—astonishing him. "You stayed with our son until we got here! I am deeply grateful."

"Uh..." was all a shell-shocked Vegeta could manage before the woman too bust in:

"Yes, thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

Before Vegeta could get a word in, the family of three stepped back into the crowd and vanished from his sight, leaving him very alone and very confused.

"That was good of you, Vegeta." Goku's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"ARGH!" Vegeta yelped. "Kakarot?! When the hell did you get there?!"

"Hm? Oh, I just came to tell you our flight was boarding. Good thing you helped that kid though. Poor little guy... Hey, he kinda looked like Trunks, didn't he?"

Vegeta scowled, "Kakarot, you talk too much."

The child _did_ look like Trunks. His face was similar, same eye color, and his hair was arranged in a similar bowl cut. Vegeta hated to admit it, but he sort of missed his annoying, obnoxious, spoiled brat of a son. Trunks and Goten were both not present for this trip. Bulma (and Chi-Chi) had insisted that the boys take some time off from all of the excitement after Beerus came to Earth and enjoy a semi-normal childhood. They had sent both boys to summer camp, where the Saiyan Prince did not doubt that they were presently causing chaos and mayhem. The thought of his son causing a ruckus, as he so often did at home, made Vegeta involuntarily smirk. He was driven from his fond memories, however, by Goku's pleading tone.

"C'mon, Vegeta! If we wait any longer, the plane will leave without us! Bulma and Chi-Chi are already furious."

"Hmph," Vegeta grunted. "Fine. Let's go, Kakarot."

Several minutes later, the two Saiyan men found themselves strapped in to their seats on the plane. The aircraft was much more elaborate than the ones employed by Capsule Corporation and were, in many ways, more comfortable. Goku looked as though he was in hog heaven, much to Vegeta's annoyance. His rival had never seen such a luxurious aircraft and was practically rendered into a kid in a candy store in a matter of moments. Vegeta found his seat next to Gohan, which put him two rows away from Bulma, and a row away from the babbling Goku. The Saiyan Prince leaned back in his cushioned seat, anticipating a mostly relaxing ride to their destination, where the insanity would no doubt resume. Of course, it _would_ be relaxing if Gohan didn't interrupt with his own criticisms.

"Hey, Vegeta," the Saiyan hybrid said. "Shouldn't you be sitting with Bulma? It _is_ your anniversary after all."

Vegeta snorted at that one. "Silly human tradition. Saiyans don't celebrate wedding anniversaries. It is not befitting of a proud warrior race. Saiyans should be training, not wasting their time on pitiful shopping excursions."

"Are you still on about that?" Gohan snapped, clearly annoyed. "You live on Earth now and I'm sure Bulma would like some consideration. She is taking you on this trip as a clear sign of her love for you! Furthermore, she invited all of your friends and—"

"_HA!_" Vegeta laughed sarcastically. "She invited all of you? That only proves her intention to torture me!" The Saiyan Prince's expression quickly hardened. "Listen, runt, you've gotten soft since Buu was beaten; it's even worse than you were during the peacetime after you defeated Cell. What did I tell you? A _true_ warrior should be ready, even in times of peace. It isn't my fault if you've chosen to give that up to play house!"

With that, the spiky-haired Saiyan folded his arms and sunk back into his chair, leaving Gohan utterly speechless. The younger Saiyan knew it would prove futile to argue with the seasoned warrior. Once Vegeta had made up his mind, it was truly made up. Resolving himself to let it go, Gohan too sunk back into his seat just in time for the aircraft to begin to shake—a sign that the engines had started and that they would be airborne any moment now. Several flight attendants waded their way past where Vegeta was seated. That is when he noticed the boy from earlier—Sakkoi—staring back at him fondly. The young child's eyes brightened and he waved towards the grumpy Saiyan. Vegeta merely grumbled and turned his gaze away and out the window beside him.

The plane roared to life, racing down the runway and lifting off into the great blue sky above. For the moment, it seemed that the Saiyan Prince's troubles had abated. Bulma was chatting happily with Videl and Chi-Chi, clearly having forgotten her earlier rage, and Goku was busying himself by ordering just about everything on the craft's on-board meal menu. Vegeta allowed his eyes to flutter shut and his thoughts to exit the confines of the tiny plane. He emptied his mind, a simple meditation exercise, that helped to both calm his nerves and center his focus.

It was only then that he notices an anomaly.

It began as a faint pulsation and gradually gained strength as the plane soared through the skies over the continent below.

An energy signature that he had never felt before. The energy... felt _old_. Like something from an age long ago and smothered in darkness. In many respects, it reminded him of the dark energy that had consumed him when Babidi had first empowered him during the early phases of Majin Buu's revival. It also bore remarkable similarity to Buu's energy itself: dark and vast, like a black hole that could never truly be measured. And that is what alarmed him the most: he couldn't measure the energy. It didn't appear to be _big_, but, at the same time, it felt foggy—like something was jamming his ability to sense the true depth of its limits. Vegeta lost himself in the sensation, forgetting that he should probably alert the others to this strange new presence.

More foreboding was how close the energy was approaching. Rather, how quickly _he_ was approaching _it._ That was when it hit him: the energy was coming from the Eastern Capital—or, at least, somewhere nearby!

Vegeta's eyes snapped open, his head spinning around to locate Goku. His rival was staring off into space, as though he had just seen the ghost of Frieza himself. Sweat was collecting across Goku's brow and the Saiyan's eyes were wide with disbelief. Seemingly sensing Vegeta's stare, Goku's head slowly turned until both Saiyans were regarding each other with equal looks of shock and confusion. Gohan, who had become lost in his thoughts in the silence, noticed the two men—both looking sickly pale—and leaned forward in his seat.

"Vegeta?" the younger Saiyan's voice was a low whisper. "Vegeta, is everything alright?"

Now, Vegeta turned his shocked expression on the oldest son of Goku. The boy was completely clueless, but, before he could snap at him, the Saiyan Prince noticed that Gohan's cluelessness was shared by the other warriors: Krillin, Yamcha, Android 18—none of them had noticed it!

_Can... can they not _sense_ that?!_ Vegeta thought exasperated.

"Kakar—"

As if impacted by a brick wall, the plane violently shuttered, cutting off Vegeta's attempt to speak and sending him slamming violently back into his chair. Various alarms were screeching throughout the cabin. All around him, the human passengers began to scream and wail with fear as the plane continued to tremor wildly. Another shockwave buffed the plane, this one causing an explosion outside. Throwing his gaze out the nearest window, Vegeta saw that one of the engines had exploded, leaving a trail of thick black smoke behind the aircraft.

"Vegeta!" Goku called out, rising from his seat. "We need to get all of these people off the plane!"

Vegeta's mind raced. There was too many people for them to carry in flight, even if they all worked together. Their only hope was—

"Kakarot! The Instant Transmiss—"

—but it was far too late. A third shockwave, stronger by far than the previous two, slammed into the plane and suddenly Vegeta felt a rush of cold air as the plane broke apart, spilling its living contents into the air where they would free-fall approximately thirty-nine thousand feet to their deaths.

* * *

(_Eastern Capital_)

Vegeta's first reaction was to search the falling combination of debris and bodies for Bulma. He easily spotted the blue-haired woman, clearly unconscious from the explosion, and soared through the smoky air to catch her. He could sense that Goku, Gohan, and the others had all survived the crash. As he continued to fall, the Saiyan Prince recognized a familiar face falling nearby him. It was Sakkoi—the boy from the airport! Like Bulma, the boy was unconscious, but the Saiyan Prince could feel how weak the child's life force had become. He moved quickly to snatch the boy out of the air. As he caught the boy under his free arm, he flared his aura and pushed himself out of the way of the burning, falling metal that had once made up the hull of the plane.

As he dodged the debris, Vegeta noticed the bodies of the boy's parents. There was no life energy in either of them—both were dead. He gritted his teeth in frustration. The matter had just become significantly complicated. He felt the air tremor as his allies flared their own energies nearby and descend, somewhere among the smoke, down through the clouds towards the Earth. Desiring to meet up with them, Vegeta too powered up and rode the air currents out of the smoke and through the clouds. He wasn't prepared, however, for what waited for him beyond the wispy clouds. Breaking through, along with some debris from the still-falling plane, Vegeta instantly realized where they were.

The Eastern Capital.

He recognized the city because it had been the first place he had seen when he arrived on Earth all those years ago. Nappa had destroyed the city at the time, but the humans were quick to rebuild. How unfortunate. Unfortunate, because the city was currently on fire, smoke thicker than the black, tar-like smoke that had emitted from the burning plane, was ascending high into the sky. It took Vegeta only a split second to remember the dark energy he had felt before the plane had exploded. That had to be the source of the carnage. As if to confirm this, though, an explosion rocked the city miles blow, sending an all-too-familiar shockwave into the air. Vegeta simply flared his aura again, offering his two unconscious passengers shelter from the blast.

Having sensed his power, Goku suddenly appeared flying next to Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Android 18, and Videl. Chi-Chi—like Bulma and Sakkoi—was unconscious and being carried by a very concerned Gohan.

"What's going on down there?" a frightened Yamcha exclaimed.

"Yeah," Krillin chimed in. "I can't sense anything!"

_They really_ can't _sense it!_ Vegeta thought absently.

"Whatever it is, it isn't good!" Goku voiced the obvious. "We have to get Chi-Chi and the others to safety! Then we can investigate!"

The Z Warriors soared downwards, descending into the smoky ruins of East City. Led by Goku, they landed as a group within the fallen shell of a fairly large skyscraper, where they gently laid down those they had rescued. Bulma and Chi-Chi were in the best conditions. Bulma had few scrapes to name—a miracle, considering what happened—and Chi-Chi had been mostly shielded from the blast by Goku, having merely been knocked out when the blast hit. Sakkoi, on the other hand, was worse for wear. The boy's breathing was labored, his life force was frighteningly low, and he was sporting a large, bleeding gash on his forehead to boot.

"Vegeta," Goku's voice was full of realization. "Is that...—"

"Yes," Vegeta replied simply. He knew what Goku was getting at. "His parents were dead when I found him among the wreckage."

Goku gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned a pale white. "So... so many people died on that plane..."

"Father!" Gohan called out. "More are dying around us right now! Something is attacking the city!"

"He's right!" Krillin exclaimed. "We've gotta get a move on!"

Goku looked conflicted and Vegeta immediately understood why; he was feeling similarly. There was too great a risk of Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Sakkoi being caught in the fighting if they were left unguarded. The Saiyan Prince may have been angry at his wife earlier, but that had now melted away out of sheer desire to keep her alive. And, though he would never admit it aloud, the injured boy looked too much like Trunks—he would protect him too. Having seemingly read into this hesitation, Yamcha quickly stepped forward, breaking off from the others.

"Don't worry, you guys." he assured the Saiyan duo. "I'll stay and keep them safe. I won't be much use out there anyways."

Goku nodded slowly, a faint smile touching his lips. "Thanks, Yamcha."

In the distance, an alien roar unlike anything Vegeta had heard in his life shook the air and ground alike. Together with his other allies, he ascended out of the ruins of the building and touched down on the roof of a still-standing skyscraper. The sight he was met with was equally alien. Towering above even the tallest skyscraper, as though it were a living, breathing mountain, a tremendous reptilian monster stood above the ruins of the Eastern Capital. The creature easily dwarfed even the largest of the Saiyan Great Apes that Vegeta had seen over the course of his lifetime—and there had quite a few unusually large ones back in those days. Vegeta's brow sweat profusely. This creature dwarfed even the Namekian Dragon, Porunga! It was scaly and very dragon-like, also like Porunga. And from it, the most foul energy Vegeta had felt since Majin Buu exuded like a cloud of smog hanging over the city.

"J-just what the _hell_ is that thing?!" Android 18 exclaimed, voicing Vegeta's own thoughts.

Even Goku looked awestruck, his eyes widened and his teeth gritted.

_Goku! Vegeta!_

Both Saiyan's jolted when they heard the sudden, disembodied voice. They immediately recognized the voice to be that of Kibito Kai, communicating with them telepathically from the Sacred World of the Kais.

"_Supreme Kai!_" Vegeta heard Goku's voice echo out in his head. "_Please tell me you know what this thing is! Things are looking pretty bad down here!_"

_I don't have time to give you the full story,_ Kibito Kai's voice answered. _You'll have to settle for the abridged version! That big monstrosity before you is the last of the Old Gods, Satais! They're a race of ancient monsters that lived on Earth when it was still a young planet! _

"_The... th-the 'Old Gods'?!_" Goku exclaimed.

"_Haven't you noticed it yet, Kakarot?_" Vegeta chimed in, his eyes transfixed on the monstrosity even as he communicated. "_We're the only ones who can feel its energy. The others... they're blind to it. It's because our Super Saiyan God powers allow us to sense godly ki! That thing is..._"

Realization hit Goku like a bag of bricks and he finished Vegeta's sentence for him: "_...a god?!_"

_Yes, I'm afraid so,_ Kibito Kai's voice resumed. _And it's _strong_! Ancestor doesn't think it is possible for the two of you to defeat it, even at your current level!_

"_Well, we've gotta try!_" Goku barked. "_We've been training with Whis; that's gotta count for something!_"

"_He's right!_" Vegeta agreed mentally. "_Far be it from me to agree with this clown, but, frankly this two ton iguana is interfering with my wedding anniversary!_" Vegeta knew Goku could sense the sarcasm in his words, but his rival nodded approvingly at him anyways. "_Supreme Kai, be quick! What can you tell us?!_"

_Not much, I'm afraid. Only that it seems to feed on energy—any energy! Electrical, nuclear, you name it, energy sustains it. According to Ancestor, though, its favorite source is life energy! You guys are strong, so you're probably able to resist it somewhat, but the humans there... they're all sitting ducks!_

Vegeta's eyes widened in realization. "_Bulma...! Chi-Chi..! And..._" The boy. They would be the most susceptible to the monster's ravenous hunger! "_Kakarot, we have to do this now! If we don't, the others_—"

"_Right!_" Goku agreed.

_I can only wish you two good luck! _Kibito Kai replied. _If the two of you fail, this might spell the end of the Earth!_

"_Well,_" Goku chuckled nervously. "_It wouldn't be the first time._"

The Saiyans simultaneously cut the mental connection. In the distance, the Old God was still rampaging, firing a mouth blast so powerful that it entirely obliterated a mountain towering over the outskirts of the city. The hurricane-like shockwave washed over the gathered Z Warriors, tearing away chunks of concrete and steal from the surrounding wreckage. The power that had been released was enough to send shivers down even Vegeta's spine. In the very back of his mind, he had to admit that he was beginning to agree with Kibito Kai. With a power like that, controlled by a beast of instinct, the odds were stacked impossibly against them.

"Man..." Krillin shivered when the shockwave ended. "What power...!"

"Listen, you guys." Goku started. "Leave this thing to me and Vegeta."

Gohan tried to protest, "But, Father—!"

"Quiet, boy!" Vegeta snarled. "This thing is leagues above any of you!" The Saiyan Prince bore his teeth now. "At this point, all of you will just get in our way!"

Goku laughed hesitatingly, "That was a bit harsh, but he's telling you the truth. I— I can't believe just how much power this thing has... Just leave it to me and Vegeta. Gohan, help Yamcha protect your mother!"

Gohan looked visibly conflicted, but, in the end, he relented to his father's request with a polite nod.

"I don't like this..." Krillin admitted. "But it looks like we really don't have a choice... You guys be careful out there!"

"Hmph," Vegeta snorted. "Save your concern for someone who needs it, baldy. Let's go, Kakarot!"

Goku nodded and, with an explosion of _ki_, both Saiyans launched themselves forward, racing around buildings and other fallen debris until they were high above the fallen Eastern Capital with the Old God's back to them. Once in position, and in unison, both Saiyans allowed their power to explode for the first time since their training with Whis began. In the godly realm, they knew none of their friends would sense them, but the visual effects spoke enough to the magnitude of power both Saiyans were unleashing. All around them, the very earth itself seemed to tremble, weak buildings crumbled, lightning flashed violently through the skies, and the nearby ocean roared as their power hit its crescendo.

Below, the gathered Z Warriors looked on in awe.

"I... I wish I could do that..." Krillin commented absently.

Gohan swallowed hard. "This is their power...? This must be... a Saiyan beyond god."

Krillin chuckled nervously, "Is that what they call it? Wow."

Above, Goku and Vegeta exploded into action. Together, the rival Saiyans raced towards the godly monstrosity. Vegeta knew that a monster that large couldn't be beaten with a simple flurry of punches and kicks. If they hoped to defeat the Old God, they would have to go to the weak spots on its body and focus their attacks their. Vegeta set his sights on the monster's leg joints. He gathered a tremendous amount of power into his fist and swung at the monster, even as he throttled his speed as much as he could muster. The resulting punch shook the surroundings, causing the ground beneath to explode into a crater far beneath him. The Saiyan Prince was left in total disbelief when he glanced up and noticed that his punch hadn't even left a bruise on the creature. The Old God immediately swiped its tremendous reptilian tail which collided with Vegeta carrying bone-shattering force behind it—sending the Saiyan Prince hurdling through several destroyed buildings.

"Vegeta!" A horrified Goku called out.

The Old God Satais spotted Goku next, slamming its immense clawed-palm into the Saiyan warrior. Goku too flew like a limp doll through the air until he collided with the shell of a former hospital.

An explosion rang out over the city as Vegeta released a _kiai, _his shout echoing throughout the ruined city, and cleared away the debris around him. With just one attack, the monster had already exacted a painful toll on his body. He was immediately grateful for their decision not to include the others. The strike from the Old God's tail had left him feeling sore and bruised, but the same attack on Gohan or the others would've killed them instantly. Nearby, Goku too exploded from out of his concrete tomb and rushed the creature. Vegeta was already in motion by the time the monstrous deity sent the low-class Saiyan flying backwards towards him. The Saiyan Prince caught his rival, but was pushed back as a result—such was the force of the blow.

"Dammit..." Goku cursed, then weakly chuckled in true Goku fashion. "This guy is really strong... Even our Super Saiyan God power... j-just isn't enough."

"Tch, don't resign yourself already, Kakarot!" Vegeta snarled. "We've barely just begun."

Goku regained his composition and returned to flight. Alongside him, Vegeta blasted off towards the monster.

_It has a lot of power, but what about speed?_ the Saiyan Prince thought as he entered the beast's range.

Predictably, the Old God swung for them, but this time Vegeta maneuvered around the beast's clawed paws with a sudden burst of speed. Instead, however, he was struck by the resulting shockwave in the air, which was enough to knock the air from his lungs and send him hurdling into the streets below. As he pushed himself up out of the rubble, the Saiyan Prince watched as Goku too avoided a swipe from the monster's tail. Though he was hit by a similar shockwave, Goku held his ground and began gathering energy between his palms.

"Ka... me... ha... me...!"

It hit Vegeta at once what Goku was trying to do and the Saiyan gathered his voice to shout: "NO, KAKAROT! IT EATS ENERGY, REMEMBER?!"

But it was much too late.

"_HAAAAAAAAA!_" Goku bellowed as he unleashed a positively Earth-shattering Kamehameha.

Vegeta watched in horror as Satais opened its mouth wide and took the tremendous energy beam head on. As the Old God devoured Goku's Kamehameha, Vegeta could feel its dark power increasing drastically. The light from Goku's attack quickly faded as a result and Vegeta could only look on helplessly as the monster retaliated by swatting Goku away—the Saiyan's now-limp body carving a trench through the city in its wake. Vegeta pushed himself up out of the debris and searched for Goku's energy. It was faint, but the rash Saiyan was still clinging to life ever-so desperately. The Saiyan Prince attempted to think—of some strategy, some method, some _way_—but nothing would come to him.

The monster was much too powerful.

It was as simple as that.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Satais turned its head towards the sky, opened wide and inhaled. Rather than sucking in a large breath, however, it began to suck out energy. The energy it sought was primarily ripped from the electrical sources nearby, but Vegeta also noticed the energy spheres rising from the weakened bodies of unconscious humans scattered throughout the city; it was culling the weak! Thinking selflessly for the first time all day, Vegeta launched himself back towards where the other Z Warriors were situated and, more importantly, where Bulma, the boy, and Chi-Chi still lay injured.. The gathered bunch watched with awe as Vegeta let loose a battle cry, forming a direct energy barrier between them and the monstrous creature. Thanks to his godly _ki_, he was able to use his energy shield to resist the monster's energy absorption.

Unfortunately, the creature noticed the sudden loss of energy.

_Shit,_ Vegeta cursed, gritting his teeth.

Enraged, it bellowed with hunger and swiped its tail viciously at Vegeta—who was wide open. The tail struck Vegeta hard, shattering his barrier, and sending him crashing through the collapsed roof of the skyscraper—directly into the room housing his fallen allies. The blast also scattered the gathered Z Fighters as Satais turned its beastly rage upon them. Below, beaten and bruised, Vegeta could hear the shouts of the other Z Warriors outside. Their heroes and leaders defeated, no doubt the others would jump into the fight and be killed. He then heard the roar of the Old God as it again began to absorb and devour the energy from the weakest around it. The effect was slower on Bulma and Chi-Chi. Their life forces vibrant, the drain was slow, only affecting them do their unconscious state. It was the boy, Sakkoi, whose life force began to drain even more rapidly than it had before.

"Vegeta..." the weak voice belonged to Yamcha.

Weakly, Vegeta cocked his head at the man standing in the shadows. The human man, Bulma's former boyfriend, had a laughable power level and was practically useless to the others. Still, Vegeta knew that Yamcha was physically able—perhaps he could help, even if that help was minuscule.

"Go..." the Saiyan Prince's voice was hoarse and strained. "H-help the o-o-others."

"But—"

Vegeta shot the man a fierce glare, which immediately silenced him.

"R-Right!" With a flared aura, Yamcha exploded through one of the break's in the building's ceiling, vanishing from sight.

With one distraction out of his way, Vegeta turned back to the victims of Satais' energy suction.

_The boy is getting weaker... _he noted.

Desperation struck Vegeta like he had never known previously. Weakened, he crawled towards the boy, doing his best to will away or ignore the screaming pain in his wounds. Using what remained of his strength, the once-proud Saiyan Prince covered the small boy with his body and attempted to summon another energy barrier. However, no matter how desperate he got, his power would not come to him. He had lost too much of it in the fight earlier. Vegeta's eyes watered as the boy who looked so much like his son, who had innocently cried about being lost just a few hours prior, and whom the Saiyan had wanted to yell at for bumping into him and then waving at him like a blithering idiot on the plane, began to fade away. Again, he tried to form the barrier. And again... and again... and again... until finally, with a final labored breath, young Sakkoi passed from life—his energy no more.

Vegeta could only stare blankly into the tiny human's lifeless face.

Tears then began clouded his vision entirely as memories from his past all came flooding back.

_I never have enough power..._ he chastised himself, remembering years under the tyrannical control of Frieza. _And when I need it most... it is always others who come along to seize it from me!_

He remembered learning about Goku's ascension to the legendary Super Saiyan form—a form that had been his only hope when Frieza had taken everything else. He remembered the bitterness he felt when a future incarnation of Trunks had exceeded his power during the battle against Cell, when Goku again had surpassed him by mastering the Super Saiyan during the Cell Games, and when Gohan had surpassed them all and defeated Cell—Cell who had killed Vegeta's son—by ascending beyond the Super Saiyan. Goku who had hidden Super Saiyan 3 from him during their great battle! Goku who defeated the monster Buu that had killed Bulma and Trunks, along with the Earth. Goku who had dissuaded Lord Beerus himself by becoming the Super Saiyan God!

And now... now when he needed it to protect the life of a child, again the power to do so eluded him! Vegeta was filled with a fury so profound that he felt as though it might overwhelm and consume him. Outside, lightning crackled through the sky, some of it striking the exterior of the very building which concealed the mourning Saiyan Prince. He thought of Trunks... of Bulma... and yes, of even Goku himself. The three people in his life that he had deemed worthy of the closest thing to affection and love that he could muster.

_They are going to suffer,_ he thought bitterly. _Because, once again, I, the Prince of all Saiyans, cannot muster up enough power to defeat our enemy!_

Unbeknownst to him, Vegeta's hair flickered: normally a raven black, it rose and briefly changed into a vibrant blue. Again, he laid eyes on the limp body of the dead boy who still lay beneath him. The rage that filled him in that moment was so profound that it quickly spilled over into his power, forcing the Earth below him to tremble, the sky to roar with thunder, and his hair again to flicker sapphire blue. Vegeta ground his teeth as he heard the monster complete its ritual, its slow, yet heavy footsteps beginning to approach. The others were in danger now too! An image of the enraged Gohan ascending against Cell flashed before his eyes, followed by the instant he watched the young Sakkoi take his last breath.

And that was too much for the proud Saiyan prince...

Vegeta plunged into the deepest recesses of his power, searching desperately for the vibrant energy of his Super Saiyan form. When he had become a Super Saiyan God, the Saiyan Prince had thought he would never use the form again. The power up his base form had received from the godly ki far surpassed any limit that had previously been upon him. After training with Whis over the past several months, that power had become more refined and contained—even if their training sessions had been interrupted by Bulma's insistence. Now, Vegeta simply didn't care anymore. The godly power was grand, yes, but could not compare to the rush brought on by the transformation into a Super Saiyan. He craved that power, that rush. It was the only thing—in his mind—that could help him squash the monster responsible for all of this.

As his power continued to build, Vegeta remembered back to the Cell Games again. That fateful moment when a revived Perfect Cell had brutally attacked and killed Trunks. The rage he had felt then... It boiled within him. Then the face of the dead boy, Sakkoi.

_Yet another fighter you could have saved..._

Cell's voice rang out in the Saiyan Prince's head. Though the words had been directed at Gohan when they were spoken, he now felt them calling back across time—and this time, he was the recipient.

And Vegeta snapped...

Vegeta's aura suddenly flared to life, his formerly sore body filling with a new power, unlike any he had ever felt before. The rush, the surge, the overwhelming craving that filled his warrior's body—he knew he had done it. He had finally broken through to the deepest wells of his power and found the Super Saiyan strength that had been eluding him. In a split instant, his rage crescendoed, and with a bellow that pierced the sky, blue energy erupted from out of the Saiyan Prince's body and ripped through the roof above.

Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, had ascended.

* * *

_Meanwhlile..._

"Father!"

Gohan's voice was pleading as he shook the lifeless form of Goku. He could sense that his father was still alive. The monster had simply knocked him out. The young half Saiyan was desperate. Vegeta had fallen out of sight minutes ago and had yet to resurface. In the meantime, the monster had begun to gather _ki_ from everything around it weak enough to have its energy absorbed. Gohan still couldn't feel its power, but he had felt the amount of energy that it had absorbed. He knew he was no match. They needed his father. They needed Super Saiyan God Goku!

"Uh... ugh..." Goku's eyes twitched as the Saiyan slowly regained consciousness.

For a moment, Gohan's heart leaped into his throat. "Father!" he exclaimed happily.

His jubilee was short-lived, however, as the monster took a massive step towards the father-son duo. Somehow, it had noticed Goku begin to reawaken and seemed to be moving to stamp out its rival once and for all. Gohan gritted his teeth angrily as he wracked his brain for a plan. His father clearly couldn't battle. All around him, the other fighters had fallen during the scattering earlier. It had been a slaughter. Krillin, Android 18, and even Yamcha, who had come to help. The young Saiyan could barely feel their life forces any longer.

Again, the devilish creature took a ground-shaking step forward. In a fit of pure desperation, Gohan powered up, his hair turning pure gold as he found the familiar well of Super Saiyan power deep within him. The power had dramatically decreased since the battles with Majin Buu—just like Vegeta had warned him—but it was still there. That is what counted the most at a time like this. Lifting his father along with him, Gohan jetted out of the way just as the monster swiped its enormous tail, obliterating the entire city block with one swipe. The Old God didn't give up there, though, and astonished Gohan by taking flight; it raced across the distance, its shadow dwarfing Gohan, who could only shut his eyes tightly and wait for the impact that would no-doubt kill him.

Instead, he felt himself swept up by strong arms and become weightless as he was whisked away. In the distance, he heard the impact of the creature's attack, but was surprised when he was able to open his eyes; he had been unaffected by the attack. The reason was quickly made apparent. Long cape billowing in the wind, Piccolo soared down to a a clear city block—still carrying both Gohan and Goku—and sat them down on the cool concrete. Gohan immediately noticed the lifeless forms of Krillin, Android 18, Yamcha, and Videl.

"Videl!" Gohan exclaimed, rushing over to his girlfriend.

"Don't worry." Piccolo's baritone voice soothed him. "She'll make it."

Gohan tore his eyes away from Videl to glace back in the direction they had come from. The monstrous creature was still looming in the distance, roaring its frustration at the sky. Piccolo's own gaze was fixated on it, as if contemplating a way to fight it himself.

"What is that thing?" the Namekian asked.

"No idea." Gohan replied. "Father and Vegeta said only they could beat it, but..."

The young Saiyan was temporarily distracted by the sudden arrival of another flying character, floating nearby the monster—at a distance just far enough to avoid the creature's wrath.

"Is that... Buu?!"

There was no mistaking it. Gohan was clearly gazing upon the large, plump, pink figure of the fat Majin Buu.

"Dammit," Piccolo snarled. "I told him to stay back in Satan City. There's no way even _he_ can fight that monstrosity...! Not when Goku and Vegeta have already been defeated."

Gohan's eyes widened with shock, "Really? Wow... Father, Vegeta, not even Buu... We have to stop this thing, Piccolo!"

Piccolo didn't respond, merely kept his eyes trained ahead on Buu and the creature. Buu was unmoving. Perhaps he knew it too. That he was sorely outclassed. That even together, the Z Warriors didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell at defeating the old god in combat. A vein bulged in the Namekian's head. No matter which angle he looked at it, the situation was bleak. He was just about to turn around and suggest they get Goku back to the Lookout, so that Dende could heal him and get him back into the fight, when he saw it. A pillar of turquoise energy burst from a building nearly a mile away and pierced the smoke-covered skies like a lone beacon in the darkness. Behind him, Goku stirred and had managed to push himself up into a sitting position.

"V-V-Vegeta...!" Goku's voice was weak.

"Vegeta?!" Piccolo exclaimed. _But I don't sense anything!_

**[Song Choice - YouTube - Super Saiyan God Vegeta Theme (The Enigma TNG)]**

Sure enough, though, the small form of the Prince of Saiyans rose from the rubble of the city. Under his arms were the unconscious forms of Bulma and Chi-Chi, and over his shoulder was a young boy whose life had long since left his body. Piccolo could hardly believe his eyes. Vegeta was wrapped in cerulean energy, his hair like a Super Saiyan's only colored as light a blue as the aura around him. Lightning crackled throughout the Saiyan's aura, occasionally branching out to strike at bits of the city surrounding him. The Saiyan Prince's sudden arrival grabbed the attention of Satais who let out of a primal roar of disapproval. Without wasting a moment, Vegeta turned and exploded into action, flying his charges across the city until he landed directly in front of Piccolo. There, he carefully set down his wife, Chi-Chi, and the dead boy next to the other fallen Z Warriors.

"V-Vegeta...!" Piccolo wasn't even able to comprehend what he was seeing before him.

This was completely unlike the Super Saiyan God form he had seen both Saiyans take. It didn't even look like another Super Saiyan transformation. Yet, somehow, the Namekian knew.

"Piccolo," the Saiyan's voice was low and rough. "Keep them safe."

He didn't even wait for a reply, simply walking passed the taller Namekian directly towards where his rival—Goku—now sat. Goku watched his friend out of one open eye. As a fellow Super Saiyan God, he could sense Vegeta's power increase. He knew Vegeta had finally done it; he had finally managed what he proposed only a day prior in the presence of himself and Whis. Vegeta had reached a level beyond the Super Saiyan God. The blue-haired Super Saiyan glared down on his rival with the same look of competitive contempt that Goku had gotten so accustomed to over the years.

"Look at you, Kakarot." Vegeta scolded. "You're pitiful."

Goku chuckled weakly, "And look at _you..._ You did it, huh? Super Saiyan God... Super Saiyan!"

"Hmph," Vegeta folded his arms. "This is no time for your jokes and ridiculous names, clown. Since you're laying down on the job, it seems that I have no choice but to clean up after you!"

"Be my guest..." Goku murmured with a smirk. "I can barely move."

Vegeta glanced over his shoulder, where the rampaging Satais was now in flight, heading straight towards them. He decided that he could scold his rival more later. A gale gathered around the Saiyan Prince as he focused his power, his blue aura flaring in the process. With one final glance back towards the dead boy, Sakkoi, Vegeta charged his enemy—a shockwave bursting behind him as he broke the sound barrier.

Satais swung down on him hard and, to Vegeta's astonishment and immense pride, he caught the immense beast's massive palm. Kicking upward, the Saiyan knocked away the creature's offending appendage and vanished, only to reappear above Satais' head. A powerful, downward jab sent the tremendous behemoth hurdling into the city below, toppling skyscrapers and all other manner of human developments in the process. The Old God wasn't one to stay down for long, however, bursting up from the resulting cloud of debris and smoke to attack the Saiyan Prince from below. Vegeta crossed his arms in a tight guard, taking a direct punch from the creature. Just like earlier, he felt a significant shockwave that followed the blow, but his body had become even more resilient with his new transformation and he found himself only slightly pushed back this time around.

_This power is incredible, _he noted to himself.

Satais balled its left paw into a fist and hooked it, attempting to catch the defiant Saiyan from the side. Again, Vegeta accepted the blow without protest, merely skidding back in mid-air as a result. He couldn't resist the coy smirk that crossed his lips as he watched the reptilian monster roar in anger. It was a creature ruled by instinct and rage, so it simply couldn't understand why the Saiyan Prince was suddenly able to overcome its every effort. Again the creature reared back to punch at him, but this time Vegeta wasn't about to let himself get punched again. With a burst of speed, supplied by his new form, Vegeta dodged the punch; he then aimed a punch of his own at one of the monster's arm joints. The resounding _SNAP-__CRACK_ told the Saiyan that he had successfully broken the creature's arm, which was only confirmed by its echoing yelp of pain.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Vegeta mocked the old god. "Did that hurt? Well, there's a lot more where that came from! I'm just getting started!"

Vegeta wasn't exaggerating.

The Saiyan Prince, unable to handle the rage that had been building inside of him since earlier any longer, unloaded on Satais. Though the monster dwarfed him physically, it quickly found out that it was incapable of landing even single meaningful attack on the newly-powered up Vegeta. All of its efforts were quickly quashed by the blue-haired Super Saiyan, who spent an equal amount of time humiliating it as it had spent doing the same to him. Finally, the monstrosity wasn't able to handle it anymore. Gathering energy in front of its mouth, the immense Satais created a tremendous energy ball. Vegeta could tell that the ball contained enough power to obliterate the continent if he allowed it to succeed. Satisfied with his victory, Vegeta then decided that he would end the monster—and thus, the old gods—with one last attack.

Racing to the ground, so as not to catch the planet in the aftershock, Vegeta spread his arms wide and began to gather his newfound power into his outstretched palms. All around him, bio-electricity crackled and the Earth trembled as though it were afraid. It was an old-fashioned showdown, scaled up to galactic proportions, as the Saiyan God and the Old God charged their final attacks. Sufficiently infused with power, the monster Satais let out one final, primal bellow before launching a storm of electrical-blue energy towards its much smaller challenger. Vegeta smirked as the tremendous energy beam approached him.

"So, you like to eat energy, is it?" Vegeta called out over the roar of the oncoming energy blast and his own charging one. "Well then... _CHEW ON THIS! **FINAL FLASH!**_"

Vegeta swung his palms together and, in the instant they collided, the energy stored in both came together and exploded outwards into a wide, sweeping energy blast. All around him, the earth exploded, unable to handle the stress from the two powerful energy beams as they collided half-way. Debris, buildings, and other human structures simply collapsed from the hurricane-force winds that were being generated. Vegeta gritted his teeth as he continued to add power to his blast, pushing back hard against the monster's own beam. In those last critical moments, all sound fell away from Vegeta's ears and he was once more brought back into the more sentimental part of his Saiyan mind.

_Kakarot isn't the only savior this planet has,_ he thought firmly.

Images of Bulma, Trunks, Goku, and the young boy whose life had been lost swirled around the Saiyan Prince's head as he brought the full force of his power to bare for one final push.

"Now... **_DIE!_**_"_

Vegeta's power exploded, overcoming the Old God's energy blast. The beast simply had no time to react and the power generated by Vegeta's Final Flash was simply too much for it to absorb. Its large silhouette vanished in a flash of blue energy as Vegeta's Final Flash climbed above the city, through the clouds, and above the Earth where it fell out of sight. A moment later, a gale of wind from a distant explosion impacted the Earth and Vegeta finally felt Satais' dreadful power fade away forever.

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

(_Capsule Corporation, West City_)

The Z Warriors—and their families—stood in the lawn of the Capsule Corporation, the seven Dragon Balls nestled in a neat little circle between them. A bandaged Bulma and Chi-Chi stood next to their husbands, both looking solemn and depressed. Even Vegeta, who would usually be gloating about his success and ascension, was serious and quiet.

"Shenron!" Goku called out. "Come forth!"

In a display Vegeta never quite got tired of witnessing, the sky instantly darkened—lightning flashed from cloud to cloud—and from the Dragon Balls sprung the immense, serpentine form of the Eternal Dragon, Shenron. The immense dragon's body coiled and stretched through the dark sides, its glowing red eyes stared down on them judgmentally. Even the Saiyan Prince could not suppress a shiver in Shenron's presence.

"I am the Eternal Dragon!" the deep, echoing voice of Shenron boomed. "Speak now! I will grant any three wishes you may have!"

"Shenron!" Bulma called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to extend her voice. "Please restore the Eastern Capital to the way it was before yesterday's battle!"

There was a brief moment of silence, as though Shenron was considering his response, before the giant dragon's red eyes began to glow more brightly than before—the traditional signal that their request had been approved.

"Your wish is granted!" the dragon answered. "State your next wish!"

"Please revive all those who were killed because of Satais' rampage!" Goku was the one to make the wish this time.

Vegeta couldn't resist the small smile that curled across his lips at the thought of the young Sakkoi, who was probably just now waking up from his death, and would live to see adulthood as a result. With that, the Saiyan prince had no further reason to stay and listen to the third wish. He promptly turned around and trotted contently towards his house. Bulma, having noticed her husband slip out of the crowd, quickly hurried after him. She finally caught up with him just inside the entrance to the large, domed house.

"And just where do you think you're going?" her voice was firm, but not angry—not yet.

Vegeta regarded her with a softness that momentarily took her aback; it had been a long time since she had seen him look at her like that.

"Well, seeing as though our anniversary was interrupted," the Saiyan Prince began. "What say me, you, and Trunks take a little trip to celebrate—just the three of us."

Bulma looked more surprised than if Vegeta had just announced that he was gay. At least that would have required less thought and affection than the usually-harsh Saiyan was presently displaying towards her. Surprise quickly gave way to emotion, however, and Bulma quickly found her cheeks reddening as as a result.

"Wh-what about your training with Whis?" Bulma stuttered.

Vegeta shrugged and gave an exasperated sigh, "I'll just resume that after our trip. Besides," then he smirked. "Kakarot needs a little time to catch up."

To that, both husband and wife indulged one another in a hearty laugh. Once again, all was well with the world thanks to Goku and his friends—and thanks to Vegeta, the Super Saiyan who became a god in Earth's darkest hour.

* * *

**AGE 850**

(_...?_)

"Give me a strong ally! Someone with the kind of power to help me defend time itself! This wish I ask of you, Shenron!"

"Your wish is granted!"

A bright flash of light hurdled the young man through time and space. His last memory was of returning home. When he had finally learned the truth about that day—that a band of warriors had come together to defeat the monster that had caused the plane crash that had, in turn, changed his life—the young man had practically demanded to be trained as a martial artist. At the time, few schools in such subjects existed, but his parents _did_ eventually succeed in discovering one. For many years, after the tragedy at the Eastern Capital, the young man had trained in martial arts—aspiring to be like those great heroes. It had been a long, hard life of training and even now he felt like he could never compare to those powerful warriors—especially the moody, spiky haired man he remembered from that fateful day in the airport. And now, though he had finally returned home from his training, he found himself standing in the midst of a strange, alien environment.

Above him, a massive hourglass floated, surrounded by gears, above an expansive futuristic city, and below him stood a man about his height, wearing a trench coat, with distinct lavender-colored hair. Glancing back behind him, he nearly jumped when he saw the towering, serpentine form of a dragon looming high above the city.

"Farewell!" the dragon's booming voice echoed out.

The enormous creature vanished with a tremendous flash of light, leaving Sakkoi—now a twenty-two year old man—standing shell-shocked beneath where the dragon had just been. He quickly refocused his attention on the lavender-haired man, who was no approaching from his right. Acting on instinct, Sakkoi dropped into a fighting stance, prepared to go at a moment's notice.

"You're surprised, I'm sure." the man said.

_That doesn't even _begin_ to describe it, _Sakkoi thought sarcastically.

"I'll have to explain it all to you later." the man continued. "For now..." He reached back and gripped the hilt of a sword which was strapped to his back, causing Sakkoi's muscles to tense with readiness. "...Let's see how much power you have!"

The man finished drawing his weapon and, with a battle cry, leaped forward towards the still-confused Sakkoi. Immediately, the young man fell back on years worth of martial arts experience and felt out his opponent's intentions, dodging just in time to avoid the slash of the man's blade, then a second. He moved quickly, somersaulting backwards to put some distance between himself and the sword-wielding man.

_Well, _Sakkoi thought with a smirk. _If he wants to see my power... I guess I'd better not disappoint!_

With an explosion of energy, both combatants flew from opposite ends of the plaza towards one another to engage in a spar that would ultimately be the beginning of a long partnership. Little did Sakkoi realize that the man he was currently sparring with was the son of the spiky-haired hero who had saved him all those years ago and that, someday, his debt to the man would be settled.

And time goes on...

**END**

* * *

**A/N:** Whew... That was a mouthful, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Major thanks to my friends, Sei and LastationLover5000, for their advice, assistance, and feedback during the writing process for this short. Without them, I probably would've killed myself way back in the first section of writing this. That being said, I had no beta, so any and all grammatical errors are my own (though I did proof-read before saving this, so I did _try_). Comment, review, favorite, follow, all that good jazz to let me know what you all thought!

Later!


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